Four Troop 45 Boy Scouts advance to highest rank of Eagle

WARWICK — On Saturday, June 10, Warwick's Boy Scouts of America Troop 45 advanced four more of its members to the rank of Eagle, raising the Troop's total of Eagle Scouts to 109 since it was first organized in 1960.
The statistics are remarkable because less than four percent of all scouts attain this rank, the highest one awarded in scouting.
Troop 45 presented the awards at an "Eagle Court of Honor" for:
Stuart Armstrong Davidson, the son of Brad and Elizabeth Davidson;
Kevin McDermott, the son of Frank and Karina McDermott;
Aidan O'Connor, the son of Mikah and Jen O'Connor; and
Myles Thomas Ottens, the son of Erich and Kathleen Ottens.
The event was held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, which sponsors Troop 45.
Advancement Chair Steve Kent, who also achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, served as emcee.
State, county, town and village officials along with representatives of many local organizations were among those attending the Eagle Court.
To achieve the Eagle Rank, the scouts were required to complete a minimum of 21 Merit Badges, have Leadership roles in and outside of the Troop and participate in community service.
Community service projectsEach candidate must also complete a major community service project as the last requirement before attaining the Eagle rank.
Stuart Armstrong Davidson replaced the handicap ramp and did some landscaping at the Goshen United Methodist Church. The ambitious project took more than a year to complete.
Kevin McDermott built a Spartan-style race obstacle for the Thunderbolts, a local sports group for special needs youth and young adults. He said that his goal was to give the organization's members an opportunity to improve flexibility and coordination.
Along with a general restoration and cleanup, Aidan O'Connor restored and refreshed the colonial gardens at Baird's Tavern for the Warwick Historical Society. He removed and replaced some of the existing shrubs and then planted other perennial plants that would be accurate to colonial gardens that would have existed in those early days.
Myles Thomas Ottens created pull up bars at the Warwick Valley High School Track. His plan was to promote physical fitness and to give student athletes and the members of the community another option for exercise while at the track.
- Roger Gavan